What we believe

Technology changed but code stayed the same

Back in 1972 when the C programming language was being developed, computers didn’t have visual interfaces. Typing words and symbols through a keyboard was the only way to use them. Of course programming languages were made of words and symbols too!

Today’s computers have come a long way, powerful graphics and touch screens have inspired a world of innovation in user-friendly interface design. Despite this, programming languages today are still very much like C — they rely on text files full of specific words and symbols. Unlike human languages, one word misspelt or a bracket out of place can break the entire program. The human experience of coding is often confusing or frustrating and it takes considerable effort and concentration to get it right.

At SplootCode we believe there’s a better way. We believe that with the right tools and the right interface, everyone will be able to understand programs and write their own programs without the pain and frustration of traditional coding.

Functions & tools should be discoverable

A typical developer will need to frequently interrupt their creative coding to search for information. They may need to read documentation or search Stack Overflow to find a specific function and how it is meant to be used before they can continue.

An experienced developer might not need to do this as often, but that’s because they have over time memorised hundreds, if not thousands of functions and structures. Even then, when using a new language, library or framework, they’re back to searching for answers like everyone else.

It doesn’t have to be this way! If our coding tools made it easy to discover features and their usage, it would enable developers to expand their capability without slowing down.

A human brain is not a computer

In order to read code and understand what it is doing, a developer often needs to “run” the code in their head. Your brain must learn to act like a computer, to keep track of each variable and its value and simulate each step the program goes through.

Human brains are not good at being computers, one missed step or misunderstood function means the code does not really work how the developer expects. This is where bugs and confusing problems come from!

At SplootCode, we believe that computers, not humans, should be doing the work of running code. Keeping track of variable values should be done by the computer, following the execution steps one-by-one should be done by the computer. A human should be free to focus on the creative process of building software, not trying to be like a computer.